I’m not usually a fan of pink, white, and twinkle lights - but this room really pulls it off.
Dear Hollywood:
The next time you decide to make a tv show or movie about witchcraft, could someone please find the funding to hire an actual pagan/witch/wiccan consultant?
I understand that “it’s only a story” and usually, if you want to write about witches, you’re going to hype up their ‘powers’ or whatever. But it would be nice, just once, to see a witch portrayed anywhere close to reality. Or a pentacle used appropriately. Or a sabbat pronounced correctly (yes, I’m looking at you Supernatural… ‘sam-hane,’ seriously).
I promise your fans will appreciate it, even the ones who don’t fully understand witchcraft. Even if the role is only a guest appearance, or one scene in one show, any kind of positive model will do.
Not every Christian is shown as an evangelical, not every Jew has curls and beards, not every Muslim is depicted as a terrorist, could we try one Witch who isn’t played to the extreme?
Sincerely,
A disappointed fan.
Companions, as associated with literary/fairytale characters
OH MY GOD
Mind… blown. This is perfect!
Away, away, from men and towns,
To the wild wood and the downs—
To the silent wilderness
Where the soul need not repress
Its music lest it should not find
An echo in another’s mind,
While the touch of Nature’s art
Harmonizes heart to heart.
I leave this notice on my door
For each accustom’d visitor:—
‘I am gone into the fields
To take what this sweet hour yields.
Reflection, you may come to-morrow;
Sit by the fireside with Sorrow.
You with the unpaid bill, Despair,—
You, tiresome verse-reciter, Care,—
I will pay you in the grave,—
Death will listen to your stave.
Expectation too, be off!
To-day is for itself enough.
Hope, in pity mock not Woe
With smiles, nor follow where I go;
Long having lived on your sweet food,
At length I find one moment’s good
After long pain: with all your love,
This you never told me of.’
Radiant Sister of the Day,
Awake! arise! and come away!
To the wild woods and the plains;
And the pools where winter rains
Image all their roof of leaves;
Where the pine its garland weaves
Of sapless green and ivy dun
Round stems that never kiss the sun;
Where the lawns and pastures be,
And the sandhills of the sea;
Where the melting hoar-frost wets
The daisy-star that never sets,
And wind-flowers, and violets
Which yet join not scent to hue,
Crown the pale year weak and new;
When the night is left behind
In the deep east, dun and blind,
And the blue noon is over us,
And the multitudinous
Billows murmur at our feet
Where the earth and ocean meet,
And all things seem only one
In the universal sun.
To the wild wood and the downs—
To the silent wilderness
Where the soul need not repress
Its music lest it should not find
An echo in another’s mind,
While the touch of Nature’s art
Harmonizes heart to heart.
I leave this notice on my door
For each accustom’d visitor:—
‘I am gone into the fields
To take what this sweet hour yields.
Reflection, you may come to-morrow;
Sit by the fireside with Sorrow.
You with the unpaid bill, Despair,—
You, tiresome verse-reciter, Care,—
I will pay you in the grave,—
Death will listen to your stave.
Expectation too, be off!
To-day is for itself enough.
Hope, in pity mock not Woe
With smiles, nor follow where I go;
Long having lived on your sweet food,
At length I find one moment’s good
After long pain: with all your love,
This you never told me of.’
Radiant Sister of the Day,
Awake! arise! and come away!
To the wild woods and the plains;
And the pools where winter rains
Image all their roof of leaves;
Where the pine its garland weaves
Of sapless green and ivy dun
Round stems that never kiss the sun;
Where the lawns and pastures be,
And the sandhills of the sea;
Where the melting hoar-frost wets
The daisy-star that never sets,
And wind-flowers, and violets
Which yet join not scent to hue,
Crown the pale year weak and new;
When the night is left behind
In the deep east, dun and blind,
And the blue noon is over us,
And the multitudinous
Billows murmur at our feet
Where the earth and ocean meet,
And all things seem only one
In the universal sun.
“
| — |
Invitation, by Percy Bysshe Shelley Favorite Poet, and a good poem for the Equinox. See full poem at: http://www.bartleby.com/101/606.html |
44 Days of Witchery: Day 36 - A flower: Hydrangea
Asking a former florist to pick a favorite flower is like asking an animal worker which kitten is their favorite - they’re all precious in their own way. But I’ve always been drawn to hydrangea.
This amazing flower changes colors drastically from white to shades of pink, purple, blues and greens dependent on the acidity of the soil. So for me, regardless of other lore out there, hydrangeas represent a great deal of adaptability and grace through change.
In popular literature, hydrangeas signify deep felt sincerity and honesty - something you give to a friend in grief or to apologize to a hurt loved one - or simply to express your deepest feelings.
To finish? Or not to finish?
So I’m writing a book.
A fiction book.
-.-
This was never a plan for me, I always thought if I finished a book it would be nonfiction and on religion.
But, for some reason, this has flowed fairly easy for me, but I’m afraid it won’t be well received.
It’s part crime thriller, part romance, with a lot of serious witchy information thrown in. Oh, and the main characters are a lesbian couple.
Is this crazy? Would any of you be slightly interested in reading something like this?
EDIT: Well I’m already feeling better. I was thinking of dropping this project… but instead I’m working on it right now, lol. Thanks for the feedback!
What is the central belief of pantheism?
Pantheism believes that the universe and nature are worthy of the deepest religious reverence. Understanding them, appreciating their beauty, and preserving nature, should be the central focus of our lives.
Why do…
Good questions, fantastic answers.
A Solstice Surprise
The love of my life and I have been together for 3 and a half years. Last night, on Winter Solstice, we decided being married by the state was not in our best interest financially, at least not for a few years, but we simply could not wait to be wed.
So this morning at dawn we went into the woods and created a special space with white tea lights and cinnamon incense laid out on a plush green blanket. We exchanged our vows with tears of joy in our eyes and gave each other our rings, stating that hereafter I would be his wife and he, my husband. In line with tradition we kissed deeply and warmly in the cold winter morning.
It was absolutely perfect. We intend to have a legal marriage with friends and family in the future, but we are both so thrilled to finally be able to call each other husband and wife!
(cont) for fear that I'll accept something that is easily refutable... Does that make any sense? Also, it says on your blog that you practice witchcraft. How do you feel about how spells/universal energy etc are viewed by the scientifict community? As I would imagine that most would say those things don't work/don't exist. Anyway, thanks for answering my questions. It's really helpful :)
Full Question: “Thanks for replying to my question, it was really interesting. I agree that a lot of atheist argument concentrates on rejecting the Abrahamic faiths, particularly Christianity. However, like you said, there is also rejection of anything and everything “supernatural”. I think in my own spiritual path I’m just figuring out where I sit on that scale. I was previously a Christian and so I think I feel nervous to accept ideas that are not evidence based/testable/”sensible” for fear that I’ll accept something that is easily refutable… Does that make any sense? Also, it says on your blog that you practice witchcraft. How do you feel about how spells/universal energy etc are viewed by the scientifict community? As I would imagine that most would say those things don’t work/don’t exist. Anyway, thanks for answering my questions. It’s really helpful :)”
Firstly, thank you, I really do love having these conversations. :)
I feel nervous to accept ideas that are not evidence based/testable/”sensible” for fear that I’ll accept something that is easily refutable… Does that make any sense?
Absolutely. Most people who have move from one faith system to another go through this process, because you simply have to. You’ve realized something else didn’t make sense, so fully adopting another system without question wouldn’t be any better than sticking with the old.
I know I am constantly challenging my beliefs and I encourage other open-minded people to do it also. There’s actually a term for those who accept conflicting ideas because of their faith and it’s, “embedded theology,” meaning that there are assumptions we make about the world due to the structure we were given, either by culture or upbringing. Having doubt is not a negative thing, because it allows us to see these conflicts and then take it to the next step.
This step is often referred to as “constructive theology.” It doesn’t mean making up a belief system, it’s a complex process that extrapolates how one key belief relates to the rest of your ideas on life and god and tests to see if they fit. Finding dissonance is an opportunity to question the original belief and see if there is an explanation, and if not, perhaps that belief needs to be changed.
So, take one of the ideas you believe may be flawed and see where it fits in your overall system. For example, let’s say you believe in ghosts but aren’t really sure if you should. If you don’t see clear enough evidence, ask yourself why you believe in the first place. Was is a personal experience? Someone else’s story? In a religious text? If so, could it experience have been explained another way? Because as soon as you confirm your belief in ghosts, you’ll then need to say that you also believe in an after life. What does that look like? How do ghosts fit in? Ect.
How do you feel about how spells/universal energy etc are viewed by the scientific community? As I would imagine that most would say those things don’t work/don’t exist.
This is again, a sematic problem for the scientific community. If you ask a scientist, “do you believe we have the power to alter an outcome or affect energy with our minds through spells/prayer?” they’ll probably ask you to leave. However, we know, through science, that our minds have a very serious and direct affect on our bodies through stress. Stress in an emotional state that can be controlled through mental action alone, and if uncontrolled, can result in ulcers, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and so forth. We also know that people who have this ambiguous thing called “hope” are more likely to survive deadly trauma than people without it.
When I do spellwork, I know that I am simply working through cognitive psychology and meditative training to reach a desired outcome in my life, whether it be health, protection, or so forth. We know that aroma is one of the most powerful memory triggers, and if we regularly use scents during this “mind training” we can easily see a physical reaction similar whatever we experienced during that time at a later date just by introducing the aroma. Therefore, using oils and incense every time you meditate can have real effects.
This answer is actually a part of my process through constructive theology and I’ve had to let go of some things I used to find comfort in because at the end of the day I feel much closer to saying I’ve found truth, which is much more rewarding for me. I think our only hope at finding truth as a species will be to adopt a common set of terms that we can relate to through both science and faith so we can stop fighting the semantics and get to the root of what’s real in our universe.
